Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Older People’s Council

Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown Older People’s Council was established as ‘Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Network for Older People’ in 2001 on the initiative of then Cathaoirleach Cllr. Donal Marron

The Older People’s Council has a formal written constitution which can be amended at our A.G.M. which will be held in autumn 2015. All older persons Clubs, Groups and Associations located in Dun Laoghaire Rathdown and affiliated to The Older People’s Council are entitled to send delegates and vote at the AGM. Procedures for nominations and elections to the committee, election of officers (Chairperson, Treasurer and Secretary), frequency of general meetings and the AGM, control of finances, order of meetings, formal taking and recording of minutes are all governed by our constitution.

The Older People’s Council Committee is nominated and elected on an annual basis and currently has 19 members, 15 of whom are from county wide Active Retirement Groups, 2 representing Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council (1 East county, 1 West county) and 1 who represents Age Action. The Older People’s Council office administrator is also a committee member and is based in the Network office at 88 Inagh Court, Ballybrack.

Among the major projects that have been taken on board by the committee are:-

On behalf of the County Council the distribution of in excess of 3000 Smoke Alarms to older persons who are home owners but do not have smoke alarms installed in their homes.

A survey was carried out among 300 members of the older community to access their opinion and experiences of the services provided by state and semi state bodies. The survey results were subsequently distributed to all interested parties and all participating older persons groups.

The Older People’s Council celebrates the Bealtaine Festival with an evening at the theatre. Invited guests who represent their clubs from locations of our county enjoy an evening of entertainment and refreshments. The show is chosen by The Older People’s Council for its relevance to the older community.

A Transport Grant Scheme has now been in operation for three years. Older persons groups are invited to make an application for financial help with transport costs. The rules are relevant but quite simple, the applicant group must be an affiliated member of the Older People’s Council, the group must provide details of their insurance policy, the journey must be for a one day or (evening) trip only and finally the transport company must be a recognised registered company. On receipt of the fully paid invoice the committee will then issue a cheque to the value of €150.00 to the group.

The Older People’s Council is presently involved in several new projects these include:-

  • Development of a Older People’s Council Website.
  • Dun Laoghaire Memories, an Oral History Project.
  • County Community Awards 2015.
  • Bealtaine 2016.
  • Dun Laoghaire Rathdown becoming an Age Friendly County.

The network for Older People is fully financed by Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council who also provide the funding for the Transport Project.